Sanjaya Malakar - From American Idol to Live Mowgli

Last week, Sanjaya Malakar turned 20, and celebrated with a birthday concert at B.B. King's Blues Club and Grill in Times Square. He performed with a band called the Peaceniks, and his sister Shyamali Malakar joined him on stage for a few songs.

I decided to come fashionably late since I just wanted to see Sanjaya. But unfortunately, I was not late enough and caught most of the first act which was the Peaceniks. I seriously questioned why I was there that night, listening to songs with lyrics like: "Iraq don't attack" and "Obama, don't Bomb-a". But Sanjaya's family has a history with the flower power generation so I just have to accept it as part of the Sanjaya experience.

When Sanjaya took the stage however, I felt better. He could use a bit more self-confidence and his vocals weren't always the best, but when he hit his stride, he was good. I think someone needs to tell him what songs fit his voice best, and avoid songs that expose his vocal weaknesses -- like Prince's Purple Rain. Yup, you read that right: Sanjaya sang Purple Rain.

There was a young couple seated in the table in front of me who were channeling Simon Cowell throughout the night with comments like: "Oh no, he didn't" -- but you knew they were loving the whole absurdity of it all. Conversely, there was an end-of-the-spectrum cougar dancing between tables, which was one of the highlights of the evening.

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In the middle of the concert, I got word that Ellen DeGeneres became the fourth judge on American Idol, so Sanjaya's show completely escaped me. But as soon as I blogged about it on my BlackBerry, I tried to enjoy the show as much as I can.

Since I am now "media Rickey" as opposed to just being a fan, I decided to ask his peeps for an interview. I met Shyamali and she said of course, and she introduced me to Sanjaya's new manager Jacob Eubank. I thought it was great that Sanjaya's manager is now a young person. I learned that Jacob was instrumental in making Sanjaya's appearance on "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here" happen.

Sanjaya is scheduled to appear on Fox's "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" but it is still unknown when that will air. Hopefully, we'll get an announcement soon. We need Sanjaya back on TV!

I sat down with Sanjaya -- and I remembered why he was such an inspiration a couple of years ago on American Idol. His I-love-life attitude is quite infectious, and I am happy that he acknowledges me as one of his biggest supporters.

We talked about a few things and I got a couple of good reactions on video. Quite surprisingly, when I asked him how old he was, he said he was 21, then he corrected himself. I guess he can't wait to be 21!

Sanjaya said he's going back to Seattle and form a band with some young people who "keep the integrity of music". He might also go back to school maybe in Italy where he has relatives. He's also still working on an album.

A asked about his castmates from "I'm a Celebrity..." and he said he didn't date Holly Montag, but kept in touch for a week and half after the show in LA. He also plans to attend Lou Diamond Philips' Halloween Party. Most of the insect bites he got in Costa Rica have also healed.

"I consider myself the live Mowgli," he said, when I asked if he liked his new nickname "Jungle Boy".

When Sanjaya cut his hair before he left for Costa Rica, he did store it in a box, but unfortunately for you collectors out there, he's not putting it on eBay. "I think it's weird to sell hair," he said.

For Season 8, Sanjaya thought that "Adam Lambert was incredible," and that "Kris Allen deserved to win." Kris was "pure and real," he said. When I asked about Anoop Desai who was of Indian-descent like he was, he said Anoop's voice "had a soft pure tone."

It was really wonderful to re-connect with Sanjaya again. He's one of those Idols who I followed that really impacted my life in a good way.

You can follow Sanjaya Malakar on Twitter at @dazeoffire